"I hate traps," Evelyn groaned as she pushed herself up, wringing water out of her hair. "Why do ancient people make such stupid traps?"
"For people like us who break into their tombs," Daniel said dryly, brushing sand and mud off his clothes. Then he froze. He glanced at his hand—the Bracelet of Anubis wasn't there. He clearly remembered grabbing it from Evelyn before the flood hit.
"Evy—" He turned to ask her, only to stop dead.
The bracelet was wrapped around her wrist.
"Ahhh—shit!" Daniel shouted, grabbing her hand like it was a live grenade. Evelyn yelped at the sudden grip, then stared at the thing clinging to her skin like a metal parasite.
"What is it doing on my hand?!" she demanded, bewildered.
She tugged at it, but the bracelet didn't budge, the ancient locks tightening instantly as if sensing her panic.
Daniel's face went pale.
"That," he said slowly, "is a very, very bad sign."
"How bad is it, dear…?" Evelyn asked softly.
She'd seen Daniel worried before — but never like this.
Daniel ran a hand through his wet hair. "Very bad. Extremely bad."
Evy frowned. "Come on, it's just a bracelet. What can one little bracelet do?"
Daniel stared at her with a look that screamed I wish you hadn't said that.
"Remember the mummy incident two years ago?"
Evelyn's face twitched. "...Yes."
"This bracelet," Daniel said grimly, "is many times worse than that."
Before Evelyn could respond, the Bracelet of Anubis pulsed.
A blinding flash erupted from it—
WHOOOM—!
Symbols and glowing lines shot upward, forming a massive holographic map right above them. Sand and dust lifted from the floor as the ancient projection stabilized.
A river appeared… then mountains… then desert routes…
And finally, it stopped on a shining golden pyramid standing in the middle of a lush oasis.
Evelyn's eyes widened in awe. "It's… showing us a location."
Daniel sighed. "Of course it is. Because why wouldn't it drag us straight into the next world-ending disaster?"
He stared at the golden pyramid, and dread crawled up his spine.
"The Oasis of Ahm Shere…" he muttered.
And just like that, their quiet life was over again.
The moment the bracelet locked itself onto Evelyn's wrist, the gears of fate started turning just like before — only faster, and far less forgiving.
The ancient relic was never meant to be worn.
Once it's worn, the countdown began: seven days to reach the Oasis and the golden pyramid it projected.
Fail to arrive in time, and the bracelet would claim the wearer's life, just as the legends warned.
***
In London,
Inside Daniel's sprawling mansion, tension filled the halls like fog. He paced back and forth with his phone pressed to his ear.
They had returned here for one reason only — to retrieve the ancient spear capable of killing the Scorpion King.
Without it, the journey to the Oasis of Ahm Shere would be suicide.
But even with the map the bracelet projected, it wasn't enough.
The Oasis was a myth wrapped inside the endless desert — a place only the professional could navigate not newbies like him.
So he is asking for help And Ardeth Bay, the man who knew the Sahara better than anyone alive, still owed him from two years ago.
"Pick up, Ardeth… c'mon," Daniel muttered, anxiety creeping into his voice.
Finally, the line clicked.
But the voice wasn't Ardeth's.
"Hello? Who is this?"
Daniel frowned. "Uh… who are you?"
"This is Dr. Terence Bey, curator of the Cairo Museum of Antiquities."
Daniel blinked. "Oh. Curator — it's Daniel. Can you put Ardeth Bay on? This is urgent, really urgent."
A pause.
"Oh, Daniel! How is Evelyn?" Dr. Bey asked, tone shifting from formal to concerned.
Daniel exhaled sharply. "Not good. She—uh… she accidentally put on the Bracelet of Anubis. And I think… we need help."
There was complete silence.
Then—
"WHAT?!"
Daniel yanked the phone away from his ear as shouting exploded through the speaker.
"What in God's name did you two do?! Didn't I tell you to stay OUT of trouble?! How do you manage to stumble into disasters every time? This is not a toy, Daniel!"
The rant continued for several seconds.
"Curator, Curator—calm down—"
"CALM DOWN?!" Dr. Bey roared. "Bring her to Cairo immediately! Right now!"
The call ended with a final frustrated shout.
Daniel sighed, running a hand down his face.
"I'm going to get an earful," Daniel muttered. Dr. Bey was practically Evelyn's guardian, and now that Daniel had dragged her into danger, he knew the man would lecture him for hours.
Daniel lowered the phone, when the sound of heavy footsteps echoed through the mansion hallway.
He turned toward the entrance just in time to see the front doors explode inward with a violent crash.
BOOOOOM!!!!!
Wood splintered across the floor.
A squad of men in red desert robes stormed into the foyer, rifles raised, faces hidden beneath cloth wrappings.
Daniel stared at them, deadpan.
'Just perfect. Exactly what I needed today.'
The Red Robed Cultists — the same fanatics who worshipped the Imhotep.
And they had just broken into his house.
*****
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